Life, Etc. – Yoojin Cho

Congratulations, Lil Bro!

He did it!

My little brother, my family’s baby, put on the bright blue gown, walked across the stage at Dallas Convention Center and received his high school diploma. Officially a Plano West Senior High School graduate!!!

I’m so happy I could take this whole week off to come see him graduate. It’s incredibly hard to believe I put on that same gown and turned the tassel six years ago, but it’s even more difficult to digest when it’s your baby brother doing the same thing.

Without being too sentimental — I’m proud to be a big sister to such an intelligent, driven, nice, strong young man. And as always, I am thankful for my loving family.

Gig ’em bro!

Unique Pets – How About a Bear?

Among my friends, I may be notorious for constantly browsing the web for cute puppy photos, but when you find videos like this, how can you possibly stay way?

This week, I found these gems on the web and realized, why can’t I have a baby panda bear as a pet? Well, I suppose grown bears can pose danger on human beings, but when they are this cute and cuddly, I can’t help but think bears are just too darn adorable. Take a look.

1. Baby Panda Bear Faceplants: at approximately :32, this baby panda takes a nosedive, but in a really cute way.

2. Polite Bear Waves! Seriously, how can you not love this?

3. Probably my favorite… Shaq with a Panda. No words necessary, y’all.

Bonus: Shaq’s picture came from this Buzzfeed post, 32 Pictures You Need to See Before the World Ends, and yes, they are a must-see. You won’t regret it, I promise.

Obsessed with: Vera Bradley Lunch Tote

I’m starting this new “Obsessed with” short feature. It’s my attempt at keeping this blog more me and more alive.

This week, I am obsessed with my lunch tote from Vera Bradley. Before you dismiss lunch bags as something you grew out of 20 years ago, take a look.

I wanted to pick an evergreen pattern. Vera Bradley offers many gorgeous blue-based patterns, but I thought they were too summer-y. Especially on this island, when the wind blows at 40 mph and the trees all bare, happy blue and yellow quilt wouldn’t belong. Of course I didn’t want something too winter-y either, so here’s the happy medium. What do you think?

And inside – do excuse my unpolished nails, full-time plus hostessing life doesn’t offer too much free time – I can fit my water bottle, cookies, sandwich and fruit snacks. I can fit a couple of Ziploc containers as well if I bring leftover pasta or rice for lunch. Often, I bring both lunch and dinner if I have to go straight to Chowder Co. for hostessing from the Times, so the spacious compartment is crucial.

All my food in one cute bag AND save the planet by not using plastic bags. I think that’s a winning combo.

Love Confession Round 2 for Trader Joe’s

I know I’ve written about Trader Joe’s before, but I must write another post to express my love. Since I moved to Martha’s Vineyard, the land without big chain stores – although Trader Joe’s doesn’t exactly fall into that category of big box retail… maybe a mid-sized box? – I’ve learned to fully take advantage of my time on the mainland. Meaning, I go grocery shopping, clothes shopping, shoe shopping, toiletries shopping, all sorts of shopping.

One of my must-visit place is obviously Trader Joe’s. Don’t get me wrong, I do love all the local, fresh, organic produce and meat here on the Island, but I can only spend so much money on my food.

I can’t exactly bring back everything I want, such as frozen goodies, but I can still stock up quite a bit whenever I take my car off island, and here are some items that I always get.

Green Plant Juice

Alright, it may sound gross to some of you, but don’t knock it until you try it. At first I didn’t know what to think of it, but I tried it for the first time last year when Jack’s roommates bought a bottle. And surprise! Healthy ingredients, but sweet enough to give you that satisfying taste of hearty juice.

Yogurt Pretzels

Almost every day I treated myself to a small bag of pick-and-mix at BU, and yogurt pretzels always made the cut. I dearly miss the convenience of having a giant pick-and-mix stand just an elevator ride away from my apartment, but TJ’s thankfully offers a huge bag. These are less sweet than Flipz yogurt pretzels, but anyone who knows me understands my low tolerance for sweetness. I can’t even drink a full can of Coke or even stand having sugar in my coffee.

Pineapple salsa

Add a little bit of twist to your normal salsa. If I had it my way, I would bring back a giant tub of fresh tomato salsa, but those need to be refrigerated, so here’s my substitute. I love pineapple chunks, and it adds a fresh taste to my otherwise boring homemade chicken quesadilla.

Charles Shaw – Pinot Grigio only though!

Who are we kidding? Would I ever leave TJ’s without a few bottles of the classic Charles Shaw Pinot? Nope. A pricetag of $3 per bottle makes it even more attractive and valuable.

Coffee

Dark French Roast coffee simply completes my morning. I can’t live without a small (well, a large) dose of caffeine each morning, and this family-size can of whole bean French Roast serves the purpose very well.

Pita bite crackers

With hummus or cheese, versatile pita crackers. These make the perfect snacks, and next time I’ll probably bring two or three boxes back because one box disappeared in just a couple of days.

I could probably go on and on and on and on, but before I end up listing every single dried good at TJ’s, I’ll stop. I might actually bring a large cooler for my next trip though. I miss goodies that need refrigeration, like BBQ chicken pizza, hummus and hash browns.